definite article - The following vs. Following - English Language . . . The definite noun phrase the following examples contains enough information for the reader to identify which examples are being talked about The examples that the definite noun phrase refers to are the ones that are about to be mentioned
grammaticality - How to say on page x and the following pages . . . “Page 42 and the following pages” sounds correct This could be shortened to “page 42 and following pages” (since you aren't specifying the exact number of following pages, it's some following pages, so the null article works), or perhaps even to “page 42 and following” (without the, it doesn't look like a noun is missing any more)
Is the following always necessary when using a colon? No, you don't have to say "the following" when you use a colon like that The following or as follows is often used for a long complex list, like the one below
verbs - Starting a sentence with Following - English Language . . . 2 You can start a sentence with the word "following", for example Following this paragraph is a photograph of a carnivorous animal Your example probably works better with "the following", as in The following is an example of a carnivorous animal which might be followed by a suitable photograph The first form can be taken as a re-ordering of